Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1918 — Textile Tests to Ascertain If Cloth Is Adulterated or Misrepresented in Any Way [ARTICLE]

Textile Tests to Ascertain If Cloth Is Adulterated or Misrepresented in Any Way

The laws of this country offer no protection to the purchaser of materials. Therefore to protect themselves, women'should know a few practical tests to determine the content and value of materials. The object in making these tests is to discover if cloth is adulterated, artificially dressed or misrepresented in anyway. The following tests from Extension Circular 41, Principles of Sewing, University of Missouri college of agriculture, Columbia, may be used in any home: 1. If the water is dropped on cotton and linen goods, the moisture spreads, the moisture spreads rapidly on linen but wilj remain unabsorbed on the cotton for some time. This Is not always a safe test as cotton and linen are often heavily sized with dressing, which prevents the water from being absorbed. 2. A much safer test may be made by dropping glycerine on cotton and linen. Linen will become transparent, but cotton will'not be affected. 3. Crushing cotton and linen materials in the hands will show the difference in the materials, as linen wrinkles more than cotton.

4. Cotton and wool mixtures when moistened wrinkle more than pure wool materials. 5. Material may be tested by polling out threads and examining the ends. Cotton fibers are short with fuzzy ends, while linen fibers are long, with uneven ends, usually pointed. Wool fibers are short, kinky and stiff; fibers of reeled silk are long, straight and lustrous, while fibers of spun silk are short and easily broken. 6. Sizing may be discovered by rubbing the material between the hands to see if the dressing will come out Washing will also remove dressing. 7. Each fiber has a characteristic burning test which may be easily distinguished. a. Cotton burns quickly with flame. b. Linen burns like cotton, but is pot inflammable, as it has less oil in the fiber and less air in the woven cloth. c. Wool burns slowly, giving off an odor like burnt feathers and’ leaves a gummy residue. d. Silk burns more slowly and with, less odor than wool. It leaves a crisp ash. Silk leaves more ash when weighted.